Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Education Policy
University of Southern California
2005

Master of Science (M.S.)

Higher Education
University of Southern California
2000

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Education
Saint Louis University
1996

Education Leadership and Policy Studies 520: Financial Management in Education

Education Leadership and Policy Studies 610: Financial Management in Higher Education

Development efforts resulted in receipt of gifts more than $1 million and expansion of development portfolio by $3 million

Allocation, Inequity and Accountability

Allocation, Inequity and Accountability: Education Citizenship and Social Justice

This study examines how state education agencies (SEAs) make funding decisions to support schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement under section 1003a of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Despite the federal mandate that states reserve and strategically deploy Title I Part A funds for school improvement, little is known about the mechanisms through which SEAs translate that mandate into practice. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with ten SEA administrators across geographically and demographically diverse sates, supplemented by document analysis of publicly available policy materials from California and New York, this study investigates two research questions: how SEAs determine funding levels for school improvement, and what criteria they apply when reviewing district applications.

The Federal Title I and HBCUs

The Federal Title I and HBCUs: A Pipeline for the Success of Underserved Students 

This study explores the relationship between the federal Title I program and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In this study, I reviewed publicly available admission data across five HBCUs by reviewing websites, reports, and obtaining data from the Universities. The article examines the complicated origins of the Title I legislation and HBCUs and argues for a more intentional and strategic relationship given the historical and relational connection of the students served. The findings highlight a large number of students graduating from Title I schools are attending HBCUs. Furthermore, this article presents several policy recommendations to support the original intent of the Title I legislation while addressing some of the complex systems of oppression and discursive practices in the process of policy formulation.

Capacity for Change

Capacity for Change: A Qualitative Study on Research Infrastructure Across Three School Districts 

This qualitative study examines how three large urban school districts leverage federal funding and research evidence to improve underperforming schools. Using document analysis and semistructured interviews with district leaders, we investigated decision-making processes, implementation monitoring, program coordination, and funding alignment. Despite articulating key improvement strategies, all three districts demonstrated critical gaps in their approaches. Findings reveal that districts made minimal use of research evidence in selecting external providers, instead prioritizing schools' articulation of how programs would be utilized.

The Hidden Crisis

The Hidden Crisis: How deferred maintenance undermines America’s schools 

This article examines the pervasive issue of deferred maintenance in American public schools and its disproportionate impact on students in marginalized communities. Deferred maintenance—the postponement of necessary repairs and upkeep beyond recommended service periods—represents more than a facilities management challenge; it embodies systematic patterns of underinvestment that perpetuate educational inequities rooted in historical discrimination and contemporary funding disparities. Drawing on critical school finance theory, this article analyzes how property tax-based funding mechanisms, compounded by historical practices such as redlining, have created stark disparities in school facility conditions. The article explores the intersection of deferred maintenance with federal accountability systems, highlighting the paradox of demanding improved performance from schools lacking basic infrastructure necessary for effective teaching and learning.

Principles for Determining the Costs of Professional Development for School Leaders

Principles for Determining the Costs of Professional Development for School Leaders

Professional development (PD) is a central component of school improvement, yet much of the literature on PD spending focuses on teachers. Despite the substantial resources allocated to PD, little is known about the corresponding investments made in school leaders. This article reviews the research on teacher PD spending and uses those insights to develop a set of principles for school leaders. It also addresses the current gap in evidence about PD spending for school leaders by offering guidance on how to capture and assess those expenditures.

A Critical Policy Approach to the Federal Policy on Resource Allocation Reviews

A Critical Policy Approach to the Federal Policy on Resource Allocation Reviews

The purpose of this paper is to examine the intersection of state, local, and federal policy meant to engage school districts around allocating resources for the purpose of supporting high need schools. In this paper, I examined the discord between policy and practice around the enactment of federal legislation centered around resource allocation through a critical policy lens aimed at assessing whether state and local guidance can promote implementation of the federal guidance. Design/Methodology/Approach: For the purpose of this study, I reviewed publicly available data across 25 state education agencies and 10 school districts. These districts were randomly selected but a focus was made on reviewing resources for large school districts. In my review of documents, I reviewed federal, state and local guidance on resource allocation pertaining to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

COVID-19 Pandemic and School Improvement

COVID-19 Pandemic and School Improvement: Early Implementation of ESSER Funding

Purpose: We continue to learn more about the response to the pandemic across sectors. As schools were one of the areas significantly impacted, this article seeks to understand the early responses to the pandemic from State Education Agencies (SEAs). Design/Methodology/Approach: This qualitative study explores State Education Agency’s actions surrounding receipt of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) designed to mitigate the impact of to the COVID-19 pandemic on schools. The survey data was collected from 26 state education agencies. The themes were elucidated via open, axial and selective coding.

A Critical Policy Analysis

A Critical Policy Analysis: Making the Case for Equitable Collaborations in Resource Allo cation Processes Post Pandemic

The purpose of this paper is to examine the intersection of social class inequality and education policy through the lens of an analysis of the experiences and effects of state, local, and federal policy meant to engage communities around the use of federal funds to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students. We intend to examine the discord between policy financed by the U.S. Federal government and practice.

Allocating Recovery Funding: A Survey of School Districts on Federal Resources

Allocating Recovery Funding: A Survey of School Districts on Federal Resources

As widely reported and documented, the coronavirus pandemic hit schools hard. To address challenges caused by COVID-19, the U.S. Congress created and funded the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), While educators and the field have learned much during the era of reforming high poverty schools, the challenge to improve systems remain. One important takeaway over the past decade has been the awareness and understanding of the role that leaders play. To better understand initiatives enacted with ESSERs funds that focus on leadership and equity, school districts and Charter Management Organizations were surveyed. The paper reports the results from a sample consisted of 359 survey respondents and the population sample consists of U.S. public school districts (approximately 13,000 districts). The analysis provided a glimpse of how federal funds were being utilized to enact an initiative focused on equity and leadership. As systemic inconsistencies and weaknesses, including political challenges, and a lack of uneven district support has been found to curtail past efforts, the paper highlights the opportunity as schools remain open throughout an ever changing pandemic which has had a significant impact on students in poverty.

A Community Engaged Framing

A Community Engaged Framing: Building Successful Community Engagement for Schools and Families of Bilingual Students Through Inquiry

This article explores an action-oriented research study designed to provide better understanding of ways to leverage school and community partnership through family engagement, focusing on the development and enactment of an approach to nurture family-school partnerships. Specifically, in partnership with seven school districts, a team of educators employed an inquiry cycle to plan and investigate family engagement efforts focused on emergent bilingual students and their families. This project tested the assumptions regarding engagement and supported school districts in the development of a strategy designed to fit the unique educational and community contexts of each participating school. A qualitative descriptive analysis was employed over a two-year period, during which researchers conducted surveys, interviews, and focus groups and used an observation protocol and an artifact review protocol. The inquiry process used helped to guide educators to test their assumptions about engaging bilingual families and to personalize their projects to fit into their unique educational and community contexts. Study participants expressed beliefs that successful family engagement requires a sense of urgency and commitment and, overall, reported high levels of motivation and interest in sustaining and expanding family engagement efforts. This study has implications for how educators plan and implement family engagement strategies and initiatives within emergent bilingual school communities.